Chapter 83: Advancement

Though the loss of several thousand people was a heavy blow, it was not enough to cripple New City. The real reason for their prolonged streak of misfortune was the absence of a leader capable of uniting the masses. With Jiang Yue's return, her identity alone was enough to quell all unrest. Even if she could not fully replace Wang Li, she sufficed to calm the anxious disciples of Pure Yang Temple, enabling Luo Heng and others to focus their strength on completing their tasks.

Moreover, those who returned were all seasoned experts, more than enough to make up for the martial losses New City had suffered. After a few days of reorganization, the Lin brothers personally recalled those scattered outside, regrouping their forces to stubbornly tackle the remaining missions.

Jiang Yue did not personally participate in the tasks, for she too was preparing to undergo her tribulation and form her core, something that required careful attention.

Jiang Yu and Zhou Qian stayed in the city to protect Jiang Yue, while the other experts went forth.

The impact of Wang Li's disappearance gradually diminished as one task after another was completed. Although some still wished to search for him, it was clear that finishing the missions took priority.

It was not that the disciples of Pure Yang Temple were cold-hearted, but Jiang Yue and her companions' vanishing had left them with psychological scars. They feared that organizing a search for Wang Li might lead to further danger, given the inherent dangers within the secret realm.

Besides, Wang Li was a senior of the highest order. If he could not handle the situation, how could they hope to manage? Perhaps, even if they succeeded in finding him, they would only complicate matters.

Of course, considering Wang Li's "foundation," most guessed he had likely been eliminated.

Life went on, and tasks awaited. They could not simply stand still because Wang Li was gone.

Once reorganized, New City's cultivators proved formidable, swiftly advancing various missions within the secret realm, with losses dropping significantly.

Time flowed by, another half year passed, and only the first mission—the one that led to Wang Li’s disappearance—remained unresolved among the collective tasks.

That mission was particularly ominous, and the Lin brothers, along with Ling Xiao, Luo Heng, and others, approached it with extreme caution. They preferred to start personal missions rather than risk the task that had claimed Wang Li.

Yet, sometimes, things take a turn where least expected.

While completing a personal task, Ling Xiao accidentally triggered the completion condition for the collective mission. He activated a hidden space, and by channeling the water from the Hanging River onto the plain, a marsh would naturally form upstream and downstream. Transforming the marsh would then complete the mission.

With a clear direction, the rest became straightforward.

Under Luo Heng’s organization, over three hundred experts at the Core Formation stage deployed their skills in concert. After half a year of effort, they finally carved out over a hundred miles of fertile land downstream of the Hanging River.

Most personal missions were also nearly complete, and many had grown stronger thanks to generous rewards.

Once they sowed various fruits and grains collected from the secret realm into these fields, the collective mission that had delayed them for a year and a half was at last finished.

At that very moment, a small city suddenly appeared atop the fertile plain.

The Chosen List updated, and the third round of missions began.

Those who cleared the city’s trials could then await entry into the second stage of the Chosen—“Ruins Battlefield.” The losers would be eliminated.

“Are we fated to cities? We entered the Chosen at city ruins, and we’ve built three cities in a row now… It really is fate!”

“Indeed. But I know myself—once we go in, we’ll probably be eliminated. I’d rather stay in New City until I’m automatically eliminated. The resources and spiritual energy here are far better than in the sect!”

“I feel the same. Sacred artifacts and the Chosen List have nothing to do with people like us. Improving our own strength is far more practical.”

After two rounds of missions, many had gained a profound understanding of their abilities.

Especially the vast majority of Earth-tier cultivators—without this selection, they would never have crossed at least one major realm in just a few years. With such gains, they were already satisfied.

They knew full well that, with their highest cultivation barely at Foundation Establishment, they couldn’t continue to participate in the selection. Having gotten this far was thanks to Wang Li, who had given them a chance to further improve. Otherwise, their realm outside the secret realm would have been the sum of their achievements.

To compete offered a chance at further progress, but also greater danger—even Core Formation experts had fallen, so what hope did they have?

Moreover, the second stage was the “Ruins Battlefield”—the name alone spelled trouble. Rewards abound, but one must live to enjoy them.

So those who could see clearly chose to remain in New City or to try their luck elsewhere in the secret realm, avoiding the risks of entering the small city.

Yet, some believed in their abilities or luck, and after numerous Core Formation experts and the Lin brothers entered the city, a few Foundation Establishment disciples followed.

But for them, few returned.

Half a year after the trial in the small city began, the first person finally emerged—yet no one recognized him.

Wang Meng eyed the surrounding Pure Yang Temple disciples warily. “Who are you, and where is this place?” he asked, outwardly projecting a vigorous aura, though he was barely maintaining it.

He had his own silent anguish. He had been cultivating peacefully in the Secret Realm of the Town of Immortal Suppression, when a powerful force suddenly whisked him into a small city.

The city seemed normal, but was fraught with danger. No sooner had he entered than he was attacked from an unknown source. Fortunately, his quick thinking allowed him to evade the assault and find a safe hiding place. But after barely two days, a formidable mechanical puppet discovered his hideout. A fierce battle ensued, and he managed to destroy the puppet, only to hide again, and two days later, a savage beast found him, prompting another desperate struggle…

And so, through fighting and hiding, he endured for an indeterminate length of time. Continuous combat spurred his rapid growth, and now and then, cultivation resources or magical artifacts appeared at his side. Using these, he successfully broke through from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation, and then all the way to Nascent Soul, until a force finally expelled him from the city.

Though now at the Nascent Soul stage, the constant battles had drained him severely, and his nerves were frayed from prolonged tension. Faced suddenly with a thousand people surrounding him, he had no choice but to force himself to rally.

A Pure Yang Temple disciple, seeing this unfamiliar expert, wished to avoid misunderstanding and spoke up: “We are disciples of Pure Yang Temple. This is City of Vengeance Number Three. May I ask which sect you hail from, fellow cultivator?”

Hearing they were from Pure Yang Temple, Wang Meng breathed a sigh of relief and let his powerful aura dissipate.

“I am Wang Meng, disciple of the Town of Immortal Suppression.”

“What? Wang Meng? Are you the Wang Meng listed on the Chosen List?”

As Wang Meng revealed his identity, a commotion rippled through the Pure Yang Temple disciples.